A Battle Of The Puppets

Zhou Tiandi, as a Dao Insight Immortal, had embarked on a challenging path of condensing his Dao Insight into a Dao seed and nurturing a Dao tree. This was his chosen way, distinct from inheriting or becoming a branch of his teacher's Dao.

The fifth stage of the immortal step of cultivation marked a significant distinction, where those who decided to forge their own Dao entered the Dao Insight realm. It was indeed a difficult task, but Zhou Tiandi had chosen it.

In contrast, those who inherited another's Dao ventured into the Dao seeking realm, and their path was more influenced by inheritance. It was notably easier for Dao seeking immortals to condense a Dao seed due to this inheritance. However, Dao Insight Immortals like Zhou Tiandi had their own set of advantages.

They enjoyed greater independence and freedom. Moreover, upon reaching the Dao realm, they could form a true Dao core, which was not the case for those who became a branch of an existing Dao, as they could only form a false Dao core, thus limiting their future progress.

Those who completely inherited a Dao would inherit a true Dao core, but required substantial time to acclimate themselves to the core and were heavily influenced by the past owners of the Dao.

As a month passed, Zhou Tiandi emerged from his deep contemplation, and the Dao manifestation that had encircled the vast continent receded back into his body. He opened his eyes, revealing irises that swirled with wisps of gold and black, representing two distinct yet eternally intertwined forces.

Observing the countless threads of karma and fate that surrounded him, Zhou Tiandi noticed a particular thread that diverged into a golden strand and an ominous black one. The ominous thread seemed to connect to him, while the golden one was attached to a spherical artifact secured to his waist.

This artifact was the result of refining the dragon eye he had obtained from the Azure Shore City. Additionally, it was accompanied by the book that had led him to the great Dao sage. With that guy's guidance, Zhou Tiandi had transformed the dragon eye into an artifact that heightened his perception and understanding of the world.

Zhou Tiandi couldn't resist his curiosity about the ethereal threads he had discovered within his Dao manifestation. Despite receiving instructions from the great Dao sage for his journey, the sage hadn't explicitly forbidden him from exploring on his own. So, Zhou Tiandi used his spatial manipulation abilities to traverse the boundaries and return to the Azure Shore City.

However, upon his arrival, he found that the city had transformed significantly from his last visit. The familiar red light district in the west, which he strangely remembered, was now devoid of the vibrant lights he had seen before (from a distance).

The city lord's manor, Tranquil Sea palace , was engulfed in flames, and any sense of tranquility it held had been obliterated.

He was shocked to see a fierce battle raging on the inland waters. The city lord, who he had not seen for over 15 or so years, was facing a formidable opponent.

Alright, formidable might've been an overstatement. The youth was only at the first stage of the immortal step, the True Immortal Stage.

He was no match for the city lord, who had reached the third stage, the Primordial Spirit Immortal stage.

But the city lord was in a bad shape. He was wounded, poisoned, weary and more. And he had to deal with many other enemies besides the youth.

"Hmm..." The Dragon's eye tied to his waist glowed faintly and his eyes changed into a slightly deformed taiji of black and gold. "...Interesting."

Zhou Tiandi could see countless golden threads linking the youth to various people and events. Some of the threads turned black as they stretched away from him.

One of them connected Zhou Tiandi to the youth. Another one connected the city lord to the youth. The latter thread was thicker and more golden, with the blackness blending into the city lord's fate.

"So... he's the protagonist and we're just his stepping stones, huh?" Zhou Tiandi's eyes turned cold as he glared at the youth. He reached out his hand and grasped the thread that bound him to the youth.

...

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...

In an ornate chamber, a distinguished man held an infant in his arms and declared, "This child shall be named Fan Ye."

As time passed, Fan Ye grew into a talented youth. He was engaged to the Ning family's daughter and ventured to a distant sect. In the world of cultivators, centuries passed like mere moments, and Fan Ye's visits home occurred only once every hundred years.

Many centuries unfolded with him gaining many opportunities and enemies, yet no significant events transpired until one fateful day when a servant disciple approached Fan Ye with unsettling news.

"Senior brother," the servant spoke one early morning, "an outsider has arrived, claiming to be your fiancee."

Fan Ye's initial excitement waned when he saw his fiancee's disheveled state. Filled with anger, he demanded an explanation, and his fiancée shared the "heartbreaking" tale of the city lord's suspicion of the Fan family stealing his treasure, leading to the destruction of the Fan family.

Despite the Ning family's abandonment of the Fan family, she had remained loyal and sought Fan Ye even as her own family sent people to deter her.

...

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...

This was the lackluster backstory that had led to their current situation. As Zhou Tiandi observed the the City Lord and Fan Ye's fight, he made a decision. Weaving a thread of vibrant green between his fingers, his eyes turned cold as a slumbering rage resurfaced within him.

With a flick of his hand, the thread reached the City Lord, causing the dark, ominous aura of fate surrounding him to recede as his injuries gradually healed.

"Now, let's see if I can resolve this without being tainted by this karma," Zhou Tiandi muttered, as he prepared to navigate the intricate web of fate.

...

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...

"Qing Ruo! You traitor!" The City Lord roared at one of his many opponents, an elderly man with white hair and a face deeply etched with wrinkles.

"Hmph! Our Azure Sky Sect can no longer tolerate your tyranny!" Qing Ruo retorted, his eyes filled with pure disdain.

"As if you're any better than me!" Chiang Mai, the City Lord, snorted in response.

"Sophistry!" Without hesitation, Qing Ruo lunged at Chiang Mai, taking him by surprise.

"W-what?" Chiang Mai exclaimed in shock as his injuries started to miraculously fade away, and the relentless pain of the poison tormenting him slowly subsided.

However, the City Lord had lived for tens of thousands of years, and he wasn't about to let go of this opportunity.

*Slap!!

A pink mist tainted the atmosphere, this was all that was left of his opponent, Qing Ruo.

"Hahhahahah!!" Chiang Mai laughed heartily, tightening his fist, relishing the newfound strength coursing through him. In stark contrast, Fan Ye, the youth who had inflicted his injuries, spat out blood as he felt his qi grow increasingly unstable.

As Chiang Mai prepared to strike at Fan Ye, a woman at the second stage of the Immortal realm stepped forward, seemingly shielding him. But before she could act, an unusual pressure gripped her neck, constricting her breath.

*Slap!

A single slap sent her flying, battered and bloodied.

Just as Chiang Mai's attack was about to land on Fan Ye, Fan Ye's body emitted a golden glow, enveloping and protecting him. Seizing this opportunity, all of his allies rushed in to aid him in attacking the City Lord.

However,

*Shwiik!

A radiant gold palm, akin to a sun in the night sky, descended upon them, momentarily blinding everyone present. When the intense light subsided, the landscape remained untouched, but all of Fan Ye's allies lay dead.

The City Lord struck Fan Ye, causing half of his body to dissipate. However, one of Fan Ye's artifacts still remained, glowing around his neck. Shortly after, a golden orb emerged from his body, attempting to escape.

But then...

"W-wha-?!" The City Lord's body bloated and swelled up until it suddenly...

*Boom!

Exploded!

...

Zhou Tiandi smiled contently, having incurred little to no karma and successfully completed his objective before leaving the scene.

...

...

...

AN- Thanks for reading! Originally i was going to write a better story for the "Protagonist" Fan Ye, with him being the abandoned son of the city lord. Who survived being yeeted into the sea, adopted by the red light district's woman. However, the woman was wronged he ran away, then returned. entered the treasury cuz he was of the same blood as the city lord helped the nings and fans. then that brings us to the current situation.

but i gave up cuz he's gonna die anyway, moreover in a fucking second